Date Night
by megalowkey
Summary: Hermione enlists Ron's help to help her get ready for a first date. Things don't go as planned... Oneshot


Ron lazed on the plush beige couch as Hermione scrambled about her flat. He watched her flit from her bedroom to the bathroom, only stopping to ask Ron for a once-over of her current outfit. Thus far she had changed three times, even though Ron thought she looked amazing in each outfit.

After nine years of friendship, Ron was content being the Official Outfit Checker for Hermione's date tonight. Sure, they had kissed that one time, but they had just been caught up in the moment. They were friends. She was like his sister.

Yet, he couldn't shake the feeling in the back of his gut as she asked him about Andrew Kirk, his fellow Auror-in-training and Hermione's romantic prospect of the night.

"Did you like the blue dress?" Hermione asked, coming out of her bedroom wearing a green sweater and dark jeans. The jeans hugged her hips and the way the v-neck sweater dipped down her chest made Ron's ears turn red. "Or is this a more appropriate outfit?"

"Where are you going tonight?" he asked, playing the casual role of best friend.

"I think he mentioned a pub," Hermione replied, pulling at the hem of her sweater. The sweater tightened around her frame when she did that, and Ron could clearly see her two round breasts as though there was no fabric covering them. He shifted to a sitting position.

"Is a _pub_ really a proper first date spot?" he said, doing a bad job of hiding the sneer in his voice.

Hermione put her hand on her hip. "Don't tell me you don't like Andrew," she said. "You're so protective of me around other guys. Thankfully, one of them finally had the bollocks to ask me out. You have to stop scaring them away."

Ron feigned innocence. "I don't scare them away!" he defended. "I just give them the big brother speech and they usually go running for the hills!"

Hermione rolled her eyes and headed into the bathroom. Ron heard the sink begin running. "_That's_ exactly what I mean by scaring them off!" she responded. "Ginny should be lucky that Harry isn't one to scare easily."

Ron chuckled. He had given Harry the same speech he had given to every one of Hermione's prospective suitors. Yet Harry had responded by punching him in the shoulder and telling him, "Don't let Ginny hear you say that. I'm more scared of her than I am of you. She'll hex you into bits if you try to run me off." The two had laughed afterwards in agreement.

This wasn't the case with Hermione, however. Since she had graduated from Hogwarts six months ago, she had plenty of male attention. Ron had scared about half a dozen Ministry workers away from the newest hire, but Andrew Kirk seemed to have a death wish. When Ron had told him that Hermione was not going to be his playtoy and he would personally kill him if Kirk every stepped a foot out of line, Kirk had merely laughed. "I've seen you in training, Weasley, and the best you can do is shoot sparks out the end of your wand at me."

Ron was not fond of Kirk.

But Hermione was happy. And maybe the date would go well. Ron should be happy that she was happy, but the feeling in his stomach made him feel sick. Especially when Hermione stepped out of the bathroom with generous amounts of Sleek-Eazy in her hair and dark lipstick.

"Well," she said, twirling once. "How do I look?"

Ron smiled mechanically. "Gorgeous," he responded.

Hermione bounded over to the couch and nudged Ron to the side. He scooched slightly to make room for Hermione. She sat down and leaned her head against Ron's shoulder.

"Oh, I'm so _nervous_," she said. Then she fixed him with a glare. "Don't you dare tell anyone about me fawning over this date. Not even Harry."

Ron threw his arm around Hermione's shoulders. "Wouldn't want other people to know how much of melt you really are?" he teased. She slapped his chest, and he laughed.

"It's just...This is my first real date," Hermione admitted, pulling her legs onto the couch underneath her. She cuddled closer to Ron, rubbing the spot she had just hit. Her touch was light, but it filled him with warmth.

"That's not true," he said. "You went to the Yule Ball with Krum. And that stupid Slughorn dinner with McLaggen."

"Both of those turned out horribly, though," she said. "And they weren't _dates_, really. More like a special occasion that required a plus-one."

"In other words, a date," Ron said with a chuckle.

Hermione pushed him a bit, but she laughed. "I'm fragile right now. Don't make fun of me."

"I would never dream of it," Ron said with a grin. Hermione looked up at him and he realized just how close their faces were. Only an inch or two of space between them. He could close that distance in an instant. His lips could brush hers. He could bite her lip. He could taste her tongue. Only a year ago he had done just that - he could do it again. So easily.

There was a charged silence between them before he pulled away. His face was hot and any more time spent looking into Hermione's eyes or, worse yet, at her lips would make him lose control. _They kissed one time. It meant nothing. It was just the Battle._

"What time do you have to meet Kirk?" he asked quickly.

Hermione was still looking at him quizzically, like he was an Arithmancy problem she was having trouble solving.

"Why do you scare off all the guys who fancy me?" she asked, though it was more of a statement.

"W-what?" he said, avoiding eye contact with her. He focused on the bookshelf to her left instead. It was overflowing with books that were shoved in tight in order to fit. "Because you're like a sister to me. If any git is stupid enough to be scared off by me, he doesn't deserve you. That's, like, the law of brothers."

"Ronald," Hermione said firmly. "Why do you scare off all the guys who fancy me?"

He gulped. "I just said-"

"Shut up about the brotherly love thing," she interrupted. "Should I not go on this date tonight?"

This brought Ron's attention back to Hermione's face. She wore a look that he associated with her figuring out a complex spell. It was focused. It was persistent. That look usually made him proud, but, directed at him, it made him cower.

"Are you feeling ill?" he asked.

"What are _you_ feeling?" she shot back, her eyes narrowing.

"I-I'm feeling fine," he said. "I was ill last week. Just hope I didn't give you a bug, is all."

Hermione lifted her brow. "Ron, kiss me."

Ron sputtered. "What?" he responded. "Are you mad? You're about to go on a date with this bloke who fancies you and you haven't been able to shut up about it all day. Now you want me to kiss you?"

Instead of responding, Hermione took Ron's face in her hands and smashed her mouth against his. Ron tasted her waxy lipstick before he felt her tongue flit against his lips. He broke out of his shock and allowed her tongue into his mouth. It tangled with his own. He wrapped both arms around Hermione, one hand in her hair, the other squeezing her waist. Her hands removed themselves from the sides of his face and moved to his hair instead. One of her hands trailed down his neck and grabbed at his shirt, pulling him closer.

He leaned over Hermione, forcing her to lay back on the couch. She readjusted her legs so that they tangled with Ron's outstretched ones. His mouth moved from her lips to her jaw. Her hand began roaming his back and her neck arched. Ron left a trail of kisses along her elongated neck and exposed shoulder. His hand moved from her hip, lower, lower. Hermione moaned as he raked his tongue across her collarbone.

He sat up quickly, disentangling himself from Hermione's embrace.

"Stop, just stop for a minute!" he exclaimed. He was breathing heavily. Hermione's kisses were still wet on his lips. "We can't. You have a date. Y-you're like a sister to me!"

Hermione huffed and pulled herself up. "Stop saying that," she chastised. "I'm not your sister. I'm not your best friend. I'm the girl who - Merlin knows why - who has fancied you half her life." She paused, forcing him to meet her gaze. "And I think you feel the same."

Ron was lost for words. He wanted to say something. He wanted his Gryffindor bravery to rise up in him and tell her that, yes, he had intimidated those blokes because he felt it was he who should be going on dates with Hermione. He wanted to tell her that he had to convince himself she was like a sister because he was frightened he would ruin their friendship - the friendship that had been so fragile since he left them during the Horcrux Hunt only two years ago. He wanted to tell her that she was brilliant and that he might have loved her from the moment she told him he had dirt on his nose (though it was more likely since she first let him copy her homework).

But what he said was, "That sweater looks nice on you. You should wear it on your date."

Hermione's chin quivered, but her eyes locked onto his. She held his gaze fiercely, daring him to speak again. To say anything else. Ron broke the contact.

Hermione pushed off the couch roughly and went to get her heels. Ron leaned his elbows on his knees and put his face in his hands. He heard Hermione stomp about her flat, sniffling periodically.

How could he be so stupid? What was it about Hermione Granger that made him so weak? He couldn't admit his feelings to her because it was so hard for him to admit them to himself. If he admitted that all he wanted to do was snog her all the time, and hold her hand in the lift at work, and scream from the rooftops that she was his girlfriend, he would have to give up his best friend. He had seen it plenty of times before. Perfectly good friendships ruined by a relationship. Fred had done it loads of times. And Bill before him. Hell, even Percy and Penelope Clearwater! He couldn't live without Hermione and if it meant stifling his feelings for her, that's what he would do.

"That's it, then," Hermione said, throwing her purse strap over her shoulder. Ron looked up at her, her face fierce and her eyes puffy with uncried tears. "If you told me to, I wouldn't go on this date. If you wanted me to stay, I would never walk through that door again, I swear. You just need to say it, Ron. Just- just tell me you want me to stay." Her voice broke.

Ron ran a hand through his hair. "I can't," he said. "I can't ruin what we have."

Hermione laughed incredulously. "_What_ do we have?" she exclaimed. "We're good at pretending we're nothing more than friends, but I don't want to pretend anymore! If you don't want it all with me, then I can't have any of it with you. Pushing aside our feelings is what's ruining our relationship. _Your_ stubbornness is ruining our relationship!"

Ron stood and strode towards her. "And what happens if it doesn't work out?" he yelled. "I just lose you? For good? I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you weren't in my life! I would fall apart if I let you down again! Don't you get that? So if that means I have to watch you get giddy about other blokes and-" He gulped. "And if I have to see you fall in love with other men, then so be it. As long as I'm still in your life, I'll be fine."

Hermione shook her head. "No, I can't do that," Hermione said, equally as enraged. "I can't stand to the side and watch you live your life with someone else. I love _you_, you idiot. Even though you make it very hard sometimes!" A few tears escaped out of her eyes. She reached up to Ron's face to brush her thumb against his cheek. When she pulled her hand away from his face, he saw her finger was wet with his own tears.

"You don't get to make that decision for the both of us," she said quietly. "If we want it to work, we will make it work. It's going to be hard, but it's what I want."

Ron paused. Stubbornly, he wanted to stick to his guns and tell her to go out, but he couldn't stop himself any longer. He wrapped Hermione in his arms and buried his face in her neck.

"Please. Stay," he begged. "Please don't go. I-I love you too."

Hermione sobbed and wrapped her arms around him. He smiled into her hair and held her tighter. Ron felt like a weight had been lifted off him. Here he was, confessing his love to his best friend, who evidently loved him just as much, even if he was a stubborn arse.

He felt Hermione smile against his neck before pulling away from him. There was the disconcerting look again, only much more confident. "That wasn't so hard, was it Ronald?" she teased, tears still falling down her cheeks.

Ron leaned down to kiss a tear trail. "No, I suppose it wasn't, 'Mione," he said, his lips brushing against her cheek. She turned her head and kissed him, softer than before. He knew they could do it. They could still be best friends and lovers. People did it all the time.

**AN: Whoops! Another angsty fic about Ron and Hermione! My b (but not really lol). This turned out much longer than I expected, but then again, so do most of my fics. Enjoy, and review please!**


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